Improvement in car-platforms



lE. J-ANNEY& L. R. MATTHEWS.

Car-Platform.

No. 207.183 Patented Aug. 20,1878.

wrTNEESES: Y NVEN ma: @mM/@M ELI HUANNEX l.v FK. MI-'I-l-"IEWE.4 v COO. ff ./@/Y KQ A E www...

. y ATTYE.

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

ELI H. JANNEY, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, AND LAWRENCE lt.. MATHEVVS, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-PLATFORMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,183, dated August 20, 1878,' application filed January 7, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELI El. J ANNEY, of Alexandria, in the county of Alexandria and State .of Virginia, and LAWRENCE R. MATHEWs, of

Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and 1mproved Platform for Railroad-Cars; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention consists, mainly, in the employment, in connection with the usual or other proper timbers for supporting a car-platform, of a metallic brace-bar of peculiar construction, as will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partially in section, of a car and platform-frame with our brace-bar applied. thereto 5 Fig. 2, a plan view of the entire frame reversed, and Figs. 3 and et detail views of the supporting-stud.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will now proceed to describe fully its construction and manner of operation.

A a. a c represent the foundation-frame of the car, constructed in the usual well-known or other proper manner. B represents a transverse beam, forming part of the frame, as shown. C C represent the platform-timbers, held at their rear ends by the beam B and near their centers by the front beam, A, as shown, their front ends projecting forward to support and hold the butler-beam D, of the.

usual well-known or other proper construction. These parts, being old and well known, are not independently claimed as our invention.

E represents a brace-bar, consisting of a metallic strip or piece of suitable strength, which is preferably provided with a longitudinal rib to give it requisite rigidity, and properly arched to adapt it to resist the strain to which it is subjected. This is secured upon the lower side of the frame at one end to one of the main beams and at the other to the buffer-beam, it being held at an angle to the longitudinal centerline of the frame, as shown, to adapt it, in connection with its fellow, to resist lateral strain.

F represents a supporting stud orbolt, headed l at its upper end, which depends from the beam A of the frame and projects at its lower end through the arched brace-bar at its crown, to which latter it is rigidly secured by means of a nut and washer, or other suitable fastening device. f represents athimble or sleeve surrounding the bolt, which serves to hold the brace-bar from moving in an upward direction upon the bolt.

G represents a transverse bar, centrally arched, which is secured at its ends to the studs or bolts F, and is also iutermediately held by the bolts g g of the inner platformbeams, as shown. By means of this bar the brace-beams are strongly held against lateral strain.

By means of the construction described a platform of unusual strength is obtained. The front end of the platform, when the parts are made of the proper strength, possesses the same power of resistance as the main frame itself, because it cannot be depressed without carrying with it the bolt which is rigidly attached to the beam A; neither can the end be raised without crushing this bolt or destroying the beam which supports it. The platform also possesses great power of resistance in a lateral direction, because the bracebars are set at an angle relative to the longitudinal center line, and hence movement in a lateral direction cannot take place without compression.

The thimble, which may be employed, if desired, in place of an equivalent holding-nut, prevents the crown of the brace-bar from moving upward on the bolt when under strain.

If desired, however, the bolt may be used without either the thimble or an inner holdin gnut.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by This specification signedand witnessed this Letters Patent, is 9th day of Maty, 1876.

1. In combination with :t car-platform hzw- ELI H. J ANNEY. ing the usual cheek-pieces C C, the brace-bars L. It. MATHEWS. E E, the bolts f f, and buffer-beam D, as de- Witnesses as to L. R. Mathews:

JAMES SHELLEKYR,

scribed.

2. The combination of the brace-bars and GEoRGEBLAoKnURN. bolts with the .connecting transverse bar, as Witness as to Eli H. Janney:

described.

J oHN TYLER. 

